🏙️ Square Footage: The Rise of TOCs in Toronto – A New Era of Growth at the Station

Toronto is entering a new chapter in urban development — one where transit and housing grow together, station by station.

Transit-Oriented Communities, or TOCs, are reshaping how Toronto builds around its most valuable infrastructure: subway and GO train stations. These mixed-use communities combine high-density housing, employment spaces, and public amenities with integrated transit access — turning surface parking lots and underutilized land into walkable, connected hubs.

This week, GTA Weekly kicks off a TOC Mini-Series spotlighting key projects already approved or underway across the city.

We begin with an overview of Toronto’s TOC strategy — and where it’s heading next.

What Are TOCs?

TOCs are public-private partnerships where developers build housing and infrastructure directly tied to new or existing transit stations. In exchange, they may fund parts of the transit infrastructure, deliver affordable housing, or contribute public space.

The model is already transforming how stations are planned across the GTA. In Toronto, several TOCs are already confirmed along:

• The Yonge North Subway Extension

• The Ontario Line

• The Eglinton Crosstown LRT

• Various GO Transit corridors

Each TOC is built with density and livability in mind, often replacing low-rise commercial strips, aging plazas, or vacant lots.

TOC #1: East Harbour – Toronto’s Newest Downtown?

No TOC exemplifies the model better than East Harbour, a 38-acre development near the Don River.

Planned as a major mixed-use district, East Harbour includes:

• A future East Harbour Transit Hub with connections to:

  • Ontario Line

  • Lakeshore East GO Train Line

  • Stouffville GO Train Line

• Over 10 million sq. ft. of commercial and residential space

• Up to 50,000 jobs and 7,000+ new homes

• Pedestrian-focused streets and waterfront access

This TOC is more than a station upgrade — it’s a city-building project that rivals downtown cores across North America.

Toronto’s Growing TOC Map: What’s Next?

In upcoming editions, we’ll explore these confirmed or proposed TOC sites across Toronto as well as others across the GTA:

• East Harbour TOC (Ontario Line & GO Train)

• Queen-Spadina TOC (Ontario Line)

• Exhibition Station TOC (Ontario Line)

• King-Bathurst TOC (Ontario Line)

• Corktown TOC (Ontario Line)

Each site brings its own mix of housing, commercial space, and local priorities — but all are tied to the same vision: more homes, less traffic, better transit.

Final Word: Build Around the Stations

Toronto cannot afford to separate its housing goals from its transit investments. Every new subway or LRT line should come with a blueprint for homes, jobs, and community services.

TOCs offer that blueprint — and it’s already in motion.

Let’s build homes at the stations.
Let’s make transit walkable.
Let’s keep Toronto connected and affordable — one stop at a time.

Because without vision, the people perish.
And Toronto’s stations should be more than just transfer points — they should be places to live, work, and thrive.

📏 Square Footage is GTA Weekly’s editorial series examining housing, transit, and planning across the Greater Toronto Area — one building block at a time. Published every Saturday.
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